Life Out of Balance
by sgpcat17
Summary: Sadie Maplebrook is just a normal 8th grader at Harling Junior High when one day, her world is turned upside down. She discovers that she's not nearly as normal as she originally thought, and finds that her world isn't as 'normal' as she thought it was. She embarks on a quest to save the world, and soon finds her life thrown out of balance.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh my fucking God!" I scream, stumbling back a few steps, away from my locker. I bump into my best friend, Storm, and immediately make the connection. I pull a face. "Ha! Good one!" I laugh, shaking my dark, shaggy hair out of my eyes. "You always have the best tricks up your sleeve, don't you." It's not a question.

I back up, looking at the electric spider now dangling from the top shelf. It was a mistake to give Storm my locker combination.

"Yes, yes I do!" Storm replies, cackling. She head-butts my shoulder and runs off, her platinum blond hair streaming out behind her. She disappears into the crowd of monsterous ninth graders, all of whom tower over her slight height.

I shake my head after her, my green eyes trying to find her in the crowd. I don't, though. She's far too short to be seen in a crowd of ninth graders, most of whom tower above her.

I turn back to my locker and start to shove books and folders into my bag, packing up what I'll need for homework. I slip my black leather messenger bag onto my shoulder and slam my locker shut, then slip down the hall and out into the warm spring air.

Storm is waiting for me outside, impatient. I can tell that she wants to get home to her basement room, where she can relax in the darkness, surrounded by cool air.

"Come on." She says, starting to walk away. I follow her as she starts into her daily round of complaints. "Ugh. It's so humid. I hate it. And the sun's too bright. I'm going to get sunburned! It's too hot, too. I wish it were still winter. I absolutely detest spring. Summer's even worse, at least…"

I tune her out, pushing an earbud into one ear and opening the "Fall Out Boy: Save Rock and Roll" album that I downloaded to my IPod a few weeks ago. I turn the volume up and drown myself in the music, letting the waves of melody wash over me.

I suddenly stop when I realize that Storm is poking my arm. "Are you listening, Sadie?"

"Huh?" I respond. "Oh, yeah. Yeah."

Storm nods her head once and continues on. "I don't like the ice much, you know? But the snow, oh man, the snow was awesome. And to have winter settle in so early like that? Oh, I loved it. But it ended too soon! Now it's way too hot out…"

I nod periodically as she speaks to reassure her that I'm listening - which I'm not. But she never seems to notice whether I actually am or not. She can rattle on talking by herself for days.

Glancing up at the sky, I look for planes or helicopters, which are fairly frequent here in Ohio. Especially for Columbus, Ohio. There's an airport nearby, and planes frequently will land to get fuel and then continue on their way. Not to mention that Ohio's also a fly-over state.

All of a sudden, a flicker of movement catches my eye. I glance to my left to find a boy, about my age, keeping my pace. He looks lost, and like he needs directions.

I take my earbuds out. "Are you lost?" I ask.

"Huh?" Storm replies. "Why would I be lost?"

"I wasn't talking to you. I was asking this boy." I say, nodding my head in his direction.

Storm glances around me. "A boy? I don't see anyone there."

I glance back to my left, but see nothing. "I would have sworn… I must be losing my mind. Shit. But really, I saw a boy there. He looked lost."

"Was he cute?" Storm asks devilishly.

"Oh, shut your trap, asshole." I reply, elbowing her. "And for the record, no."

Storm chuckles, and we continue on the way home.


	2. Chapter 2

"'Sup Mom!" I call, walking through the front door to my house. "Storm's here."

"Okay honey!" I hear my mother yell back from the other end of the house. "I'll be in in a minute!"

"Kay!" I holler.

Sadie and I plop down on the couch and turn on the television. It's on the news, and, as always, it was bad.

A woman's voice fills the room, a reporter doing a front-line story, as a video of a serious crash fills the tv screen. "... major crash on I-70 involving four cars. This crash that took place at three-twenty-four this afternoon was caught completely on tape. It all started when a pedestrian crossing the highway was struck by a yellow taxi that was going above the speed limit. Seconds later, a mini-van Acura MDX crashed into the taxi, followed seconds later by a pick-up truck. Another driver in a Honda Civic then hit the pick-up truck and spun out of control" The video stops and is replaced by faces as the woman continues to speak. "Three, including the pedestrian, were announced dead at the scene -"

I pause and stare at the face of a boy, about my age. I know I've seen him before. But where?

"Sadie?" Storm asks me. "Why'd you pause it?"

I wait a second before responding. "I've seen that kid before."

"The one with white hair? Probably our age?"

"Yeah... But I don't know where..." I trail off.

"I think he goes to our school." Storm says. "He might be in ninth grade?"

"Was," I correct. "He's dead now."

"Mm." Storm says, casting her eyes downwards. "That's sad."

"Yeah," I agree. "It is." I un-pause the television, and all of a sudden, it hits me: He's the kid who I saw walking home for no more than a split-second. I don't say anything, though. Storm would think I'm insane. Well, more insane than she already thinks I am, anyway.

After a few more minutes, I ask, "Wanna change the channel?"

"Sure" Storm replies. "What else is on?"

"Lemme see..." I say, clicking the 'guide' button on the remote. I flip through the channels. "You wanna watch Phineas and Ferb?"

"Why not?" Storm says, laughing. "It's been years since I've watched that show."

I select the show and the voice of Isabella blasts out of the speakers. "What'cha doin'?"

"We're building a roller coaster!" Replies Phineas. "It's gonna be the biggest one EVER!"

I stop listening and zone out, thinking about the white-haired kid, who had deep, wide-set brown eyes. I'm sure that was the kid I saw walking home. I'm sure of it. But our school ends at 3:40 in the afternoon, and he would have been dead by then, He was one of the ones who died at the scene. So that would mean that I saw... A ghost. Well, either that, or I saw someone else.

But I'm sure it was the same person. But... Do ghosts even exist?

I don't ask aloud. That would be weird.

I banish the thoughts from my mind and resume watching the show. I don't touch on the subject of the white-haired boy for the rest of the day.


End file.
